Behind these emerald eyes
by mak'n'cheese
Summary: With her long bronzen hair and her emerald eyes, in a sea of blue eyed blonde haired merchants, and the grey eyes and brown hair of the seam, kids found it easy to pick on her calling her, the misfit, the whore, They taunt her daily, but one act of courage, not only opens eyes but also uncovers secrets that were not meant to be found. Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games
1. Prologue

Prologue

Finnick walked through the door of his house, "mom." He called "in here Finn," his mother replied . Finn walked into his parents bedroom. She was cradling his newborn little sister. "Has dad come home yet?" Fin asked hopefully as he reached out for her. His mother smiled and handing her to him.

Finn looked down at her sweet golden face, her eyes opened to show her emerald green eyes. She looked so cute cuddled into the crook of his elbow, he smiled at her "He came home while you were at school, but he had to be sent away again," Finn felt tears in his eyes "again" he whispered as he felt anger rise

"he's missed everything my last three birthdays, even her birth, did dad even notice she was here, you wanted to wait for him to name her, but he probably acted like she wasn't even born, or made for that matter," he took a breath trying to keep his voice low for his sleeping sister," have you even told him that you were pregnant the nine months he was gone, have you at least decided on on a name for her since he doesn't even know we exist,"

his mother now had tears streaming " I know he's gone a lot, but he still loves you,he's working for a change, one that you might not understand right now," she wrapped her arms around Finn, and her daughter " And her name is Katniss, your father for the little time he was awake told me about a root with a pretty white flower called Katniss, I tried to tell him but she was asleep in your room and he walked in and started blabbering on about the island and the flower-,"

" and never once mentioned me right." He interjected his voice cracked in the middle of the sentence. His mom looked guilty " I need to go to work, someone has to put food on the table, you think you can take care of Katniss?" She asks "Yah, mom, I can." As he cradled a sleeping Katniss to his chest. Their mother left that night, and hardly ever came home leaving Finnick to juggle raising his baby sister, and school.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

He was there for every dirty diaper, and since their mom was gone all the time he bought a goat to feed her, because their mother was never home. He watched her first steps, her first word was Finnie, and even attempted to teach her how to swim.

He held her through her first tropical storm. Used all the rags in the house to make a little doll for her, she had him wrapped around her little finger. He held her at night when the monsters came. She barely knew her parents when they came home they would give them a hug and kiss and go off to sleep, or to drop off the money they earned. She was all Finn had and all he wanted to do was protect his sweet sister, and give her everything she deserves.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

It was late and a storm was coming quick, and Finnick was walking home from the district school. He was hurrying it was going to be a big storm the wind was already knocking him off his feet, and he hoped that Katniss was safe in their bedroom, she was always afraid of the storms, he smiled at the thought that she would already be huddled under plenty of blankets clutching the rag doll he made for her, but he still wanted to be there for her, he thought as he approached the house.

But what he saw made his blood run cold. Peacekeepers were all around the house, he heard them yelling, then gunshots, They killed her he thought, a child she wasn't even 5, he thought. He felt tears well up in his eyes "no," he whispered, he dropped to his knees a sob escaped him before he heard her scream.

He felt terrified when he looked up to see them attempt to take her out of the house. His feet moved on their own he ran to save her "Finnie!" She cried when she saw him holding her little arms out so he would hold her, she was terrified, the peacekeeper who heard her cries for him turned to face him, "please let her go, she's only a child," he begged. The peacekeeper didn't listen as he took out his baton "I can't do that son, we have great plans for you," he laughed as he struck Finnick on his head knocking him out cold.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Katniss looked in the mirror at her body, she had bruises on both her arms when they held her down, and a bruise on her face for being home late. She left her bronze hair down and flipped to the side to attempt to cover the bruise. She thought about last night, she was in the woods late trying to get more food to please mother, but along the way she got shoved into an alleyway.

If Peeta hadn't come down the ally when he did, the men would have taken more then a few buttons off her top. She knew tomorrow there will be a new story about her, she should be used to this she though, all the men trying forcefully to get with her, her mom's abuse, the bullying at school.

Tears welled up in her green eyes, she wished her adopted father would have left her to die in the woods when she was a child. Then everyone's lives would be better. She didn't remember much about before she was found in the woods, but she sure remembered someone because the only word that came out of her 5 year old mouth was Finnie.

She wondered what she did as a child to make her family leave her in the woods to die. The other kids' hurtful words come to mind, "why don't you just die, nobody would miss you any way." She thought about how true it is, she would kill herself but Prim needs her, Katniss knows she hates her to but if she died nobody would put food on the table.

She put a hand over her locket, it was comforting because it was from home the seashell with a k pendant on one side and a seahorse one on the other on the inside was a picture of her and an older boy who she assumed to be Finnie. She was on his back, and they were smiling, they looked so happy, she wondered if he missed her, or was looking for her in some way.

"Katniss." Mrs. Everdeen shrieked pulling her out of her thoughts, here we go she thought. She looked in the mirror one last time before bending down to pickup her shirt. She put it on before leaving the tiny bathroom to face the horrors of the day. She walked into the main room and the first thing she hears is "why is there no food on this table, I thought we had an agreement. You put food on this table and you can stay here." Mrs. Everdeen states

"I did put food on the table, I put it there last night." Katniss argues "I don't care about last night," Mrs. Everdeen shouts as she stands up and makes her way over to Katniss "I care about this morning, why is there no food in this house right now." She ends the sentence with slap across her cheek.

Katniss puts a hand over her stinging cheek "I hadn't had time to go hunting today, mother." She says in a wavering voice. "I am not your mother, you might live in this house but you are nothing to me," grabbed her hair "from now on you will address me as ma'am, you hear me." "Yes, ma'am," she replied quietly "Good, now you better get food on this table, before you go to school, and before Prim wakes." growls "yes ma'am," is all she says as she turns and leaves the house.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Katniss walks through the woods with her game bag pretty much empty except for a few skinny squirrels, she looks and sees she has about an hour before wakes up Prim. She decides to go to the bakery then head home, when she reached the Bakery's back door, Peeta opens the door and starts talking before she even knocked, "Katniss are you ok, after they tried to-" "I know Peeta I was the one they tried to rape, but thanks for helping me out most people would have left me." She replied gratefully. Peeta is the only person in the district other then Madge who treats her well. "I have some squirrels to trade." Katniss tells him "and I have some bread for your squirrels." He replied with a smile, and for some odd reason Katniss smiled back. She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. "Well let's get back to trading." She chuckled nervously.

Katniss traded three of her four squirrels for a fresh loaf of bread, and as she was walking away she heard Peeta call out to her "Katniss, wait." She turned to face him as he was running to catch up with her, the sight put butterflies in her stomach. He stopped in front of her, "I have a question, to...um..ask you," he stuttered "yes, Peeta," she replied urging him to continue.

"wi-will...you..um, how do I say this," Peeta kept stuttering "it's ok Peeta, just say it, no need to be all jittery about it." Katniss reassured him, Peeta took a deep breath before continuing "Katniss, will you-" he gets cut off by Leevy a girl from school who mainly bullies her "eww Peeta, I can't believe you stooped down so low to come to the district whore." She exclaimed.

Katniss' eyes dropped to the dusty coal covered dirt road as tears stung her eyes. "Didn't you hear she slept with three guys last night." She said in a condensing tone. She should have guessed that they would say that she slept with them, it always happen with the guys that try. It's the same story they toss her in an alleyway and she fights them off, but they tell everyone that she slept with them, after all she had to get the title whore from somewhere.

Leevy turned to her and started making jabs at her, "how much did you pay him to pretend to care about you," Peeta tries nicely to make her stop but it doesn't work "you know because nobody could ever love you, you own family left you to die, why don't you give them what they wished for years ago." She goes to make another rude remark about her, when Peeta yells "enough, you know nothing about her life, why don't you go pick on someone else for a change."

Leevy snorts " must have been a hell of a lot of money you paid him, or maybe it wasn't even money at all, slut," she turns and walks away but before she does she turns to Peeta," I expected more from you."is all she says before she walks away. Peeta goes to tell her none of it was true but, but she couldn't get the question out of her mind, _would everyone be better off if I just die._

 _AN: thank you for whoever is reading this, I hope that you will leave comments, ideas. Thanks again_


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Finnick

Finnick stayed laying on the bed holding his sister's doll. He heard talking from behind his closed door. "What's wrong with him. He won't leave his room to help them." He recognized the voice of a fellow victor, but he couldn't deal with that today. "He lost someone important to him around this time many years ago, so you can turn around and leave him alone." It was the sweet voice of Annie. Two seconds later the door opens and in comes Annie her red-brunette hair was up in a bun, her sea-green eyes showed sorrow as she kneeled beside the bed.

"Oh Finn," she sighed "she didn't want me to go,"he whispered "Honey your not making any sense." She whispered as she ran her fingers through his bronze locks. "I hadn't gone gone to school since I had to take care of her, they said if I didn't go that she would be taken to the district orphanage, they don't get taken care of properly. They have no life in their eyes, they turn them into the coldest killers, I couldn't do that to her," he reached over and grabbed a photo of him and Katniss and looked at it before speaking again "I always loved how green her eyes were. If she ever would have gone to the capital they would have thought that they were fake. She was my everything, and I left her home all alone," he broke into sobs.

"what happened to her Finn you've never told me about that day, what happened you can't heal if you don't talk about it, please tell me." She pleaded." "I got out of school early do to a tropical storm. I was walking home, they had her Annie they took my little sister and killed her. Snow had to know that would push me to volunteer. He killed her for something my father and mother did. Katniss didn't even know her own father's name, to her he was some strange man that that came once a year and stayed barely eight hours. She wasn't even five and they took her without a second thought, and If I would have stayed home that day I could have gotten her out, Annie." He continued sobbing.

Annie climbed on to the bed and wrapped her arms around Finnick, "it's ok, it's ok. It's not your fault, so don't blame yourself. I'm sure Katniss doesn't blame you" She soothed, and kissed his head, they stayed like that until, Mahi, the victor from last year barges in. "Guys mandatory viewing starts now." "We'll be there in a second." Annie replies. "Come on Finn you have to get up." Annie helps Finnick up who is still holding Katniss' old rag doll. "Who was she?" The female tribute asks, Finnick didn't know either of their names do to the date of the reaping this year. "Who?" Finnick asks "you haven't put down that doll all day, you must miss the girl who that belonged what was her name?" She asks "her name was Katniss Kairi Odair, and that is all I wish to say about the matter." He said with a sense of finality.

After that everyone drops the subject to watch the reapings. It always the same every year so Finnick never payed attention, until Annie gasps Finnick looks up to see a beautiful but battered girl, but it wasn't the fact she was beautiful that was shocking it was the district 4's bronze hair color, her golden skin but the most shocking was her eyes, there is only one person who has those emerald green eyes, he felt hope in his chest,but pushes it down. After all this was in Twelve.

He can't jump to conclusions, if incorrect it'll just hurt more, he hears Effie Trinket ask her name "Katniss ma'am." Finn felt his heart stop, he stood dropping the doll and walking to the tv, "what's your last name dear." "I don't have one, I have no family here ma'am." Her half of her face was covered with an ugly purple bruise, her eyes were sad and lifeless, he felt his heart break in half, "pause it." He commanded whoever had the remote. He felt his anger rise, "look at what they've done to her." He yelled. He was about to punch the tv when Annie intervenes "Finn, honey you don't know for sure that it is her, tell me something that only she would have. Then we can talk to Haymitch." He looked to she screen that was still paused, when he noticed the necklace, he turned to Annie "Katniss has a locket with the same picture that I have framed."

"Ok I'll get the picture you call Haymitch." Finnick didn't even need to be told before he grabbed the train phone he dialed the number for the twelve train. When the phone monitor answers they didn't get in a word, "call to Haymitch Abernathy." He stated, he heard a mans voice telling him to hold for a second while he delivers the phone, a couple seconds later he hears the gruff voice of Haymitch, "what do you want, your sending me photos calling me for what exactly." "Your female tribute she has a necklace right." "Yah, so what" he growls "what does it look like." His hope keeps rising. "It's a gold seashell with a k and a fishy thing with a curly tail" "a seahorse" he answers,"yah that thing." He felt joy he turned to Annie cried out "she's alive!"


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Finnick

Finnick stayed laying on the bed holding his sister's doll. He heard talking from behind his closed door. "What's wrong with him. He won't leave his room to help them." He recognized the voice of a fellow victor, but he couldn't deal with that today. "He lost someone important to him around this time many years ago, so you can turn around and leave him alone." It was the sweet voice of Annie. Two seconds later the door opens and in comes Annie her red-brunette hair was up in a bun, her sea-green eyes showed sorrow as she kneeled beside the bed.

"Oh Finn," she sighed "she didn't want me to go,"he whispered "Honey your not making any sense." She whispered as she ran her fingers through his bronze locks. "I hadn't gone gone to school since I had to take care of her, they said if I didn't go that she would be taken to the district orphanage, they don't get taken care of properly. They have no life in their eyes, they turn them into the coldest killers, I couldn't do that to her," he reached over and grabbed a photo of him and Katniss and looked at it before speaking again "I always loved how green her eyes were. If she ever would have gone to the capital they would have thought that they were fake. She was my everything, and I left her home all alone," he broke into sobs.

"what happened to her Finn you've never told me about that day, what happened you can't heal if you don't talk about it, please tell me." She pleaded." "I got out of school early do to a tropical storm. I was walking home, they had her Annie they took my little sister and killed her. Snow had to know that would push me to volunteer. He killed her for something my father and mother did. Katniss didn't even know her own father's name, to her he was some strange man that that came once a year and stayed barely eight hours. She wasn't even five and they took her without a second thought, and If I would have stayed home that day I could have gotten her out, Annie." He continued sobbing.

Annie climbed on to the bed and wrapped her arms around Finnick, "it's ok, it's ok. It's not your fault, so don't blame yourself. I'm sure Katniss doesn't blame you" She soothed, and kissed his head, they stayed like that until, Mahi, the victor from last year barges in. "Guys mandatory viewing starts now." "We'll be there in a second." Annie replies. "Come on Finn you have to get up." Annie helps Finnick up who is still holding Katniss' old rag doll. "Who was she?" The female tribute asks, Finnick didn't know either of their names do to the date of the reaping this year. "Who?" Finnick asks "you haven't put down that doll all day, you must miss the girl who that belonged what was her name?" She asks "her name was Katniss Kairi Odair, and that is all I wish to say about the matter." He said with a sense of finality.

After that everyone drops the subject to watch the reapings. It always the same every year so Finnick never payed attention, until Annie gasps Finnick looks up to see a beautiful but battered girl, but it wasn't the fact she was beautiful that was shocking it was the district 4's bronze hair color, her golden skin but the most shocking was her eyes, there is only one person who has those emerald green eyes, he felt hope in his chest,but pushes it down. After all this was in Twelve.

He can't jump to conclusions, if incorrect it'll just hurt more, he hears Effie Trinket ask her name "Katniss ma'am." Finn felt his heart stop, he stood dropping the doll and walking to the tv, "what's your last name dear." "I don't have one, I have no family here ma'am." Her half of her face was covered with an ugly purple bruise, her eyes were sad and lifeless, he felt his heart break in half, "pause it." He commanded whoever had the remote. He felt his anger rise, "look at what they've done to her." He yelled. He was about to punch the tv when Annie intervenes "Finn, honey you don't know for sure that it is her, tell me something that only she would have. Then we can talk to Haymitch." He looked to she screen that was still paused, when he noticed the necklace, he turned to Annie "Katniss has a locket with the same picture that I have framed."

"Ok I'll get the picture you call Haymitch." Finnick didn't even need to be told before he grabbed the train phone he dialed the number for the twelve train. When the phone monitor answers they didn't get in a word, "call to Haymitch Abernathy." He stated, he heard a mans voice telling him to hold for a second while he delivers the phone, a couple seconds later he hears the gruff voice of Haymitch, "what do you want, your sending me photos calling me for what exactly." "Your female tribute she has a necklace right." "Yah, so what" he growls "what does it look like." His hope keeps rising. "It's a gold seashell with a k and a fishy thing with a curly tail" "a seahorse" he answers,"yah that thing." He felt joy he turned to Annie cried out "she's alive!"


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Katniss laid in the dark on her bed thinking about who Haymitch was talking to it was obvious who they where talking about the way Haymitch kept glancing over at her with a concerned look on his face. After the phone call he sent her to her room. That was were she was now, waiting for someone to let her out or at least talk to her. She doesn't know how long she was left there but sometime Haymitch pokes his head in, "Katniss, can I come in." "Sure as long as you tell me what's going on." She whispered, but she didn't want to know she was terrified to know the truth. Haymitch walks in and sits down on the bed,"what do you remember before you showed up in twelve?" He asks me like I'm a wounded deer.

"Not much but I remember one thing, Finn, who I assume is a brother, had hair like mine, but softer green eyes. He gave me the ugliest doll made up of cut-up rags, but I loved that doll, he had made it just for me with all we had. He must have loved me a lot, I also remember him holding me at night, when got scared. I like to hold on to the last happy memories I have because after that my life turned to hell."she said before crying,"sometimes I think that it's not real because nothing in my life is good, why would it have ever had something good."

"What if you could find your family, would you do it." He questions. "If they wanted to see me, then yes, I felt so loved in that memory." She let out a sob. "What if I said that I know where to find your brother," Katniss gasped unbelieving, "where, how," "well he found you, and he has talked to some people, and he is waiting outside, if you want to see him." "He's outside," she stammered in shock "and he wants to see _me_." She said in disbelief, and Haymitch gets up and slowly move to the door, while Katniss sat there confused, she's never been associated with a positive emotion before.

She was used to people's anger, hate, jealousy, but never this, it terrified her. She gets snapped out of her thoughts when she hears the door open. She looks up to see a man walk in, fear controlled her as she stood up and walked backwards away from him. "Hey, it's okay I would never hurt you." The man spoke softly in awe, staring at her like she would disappear "I'm going to turn on the light ok," he spoke again, as she just stood there. When the light turns on she is met with memories.

A boy chasing her around the house tickling her. The same boy who rolled her into all the blankets of the house claiming he was going to sell the roll of blankets at the market, while she was giggling "no Finnie!" It was the same man standing before her who held her through all the nightmares, the storms, and all her little accidents that sent her in a crying fit.

"Finnie?" She asked hoarsely. "Yah, it's me kitty," he replied using the old nickname he had for her. Finnick came close enough to grab some of her hair, just to run it through his fingers, but the action made her flinch, "what did they do to you?" His voice breaks at the end. the anger shown through his eyes. It scared her "I won't hurt you, I'm not mad at you I'm mad at the person who did this." His voice started out soothing but when he gestured to her face his voice turned to disgust, "my face was , the women who let her husband house me, but when he died she needed someone to blame so she blamed the girl nobody cares about, and everything else from the kids from school."She answered honestly Finn pulled her into a comforting embrace. "You didn't deserve any of that, it makes me want to go to twelve and beat their sorry asses for doing that to you." He whispered angrily. "The best punishment to give the people who have hurt you is kindness. For in their minds anger is more justified then kindness, and from that kindness will come guilt." She told him.

This made Finnick freeze, He had stopped stroking her hair, "that is true," he whispered "come on kitty we have a lot of years to catch up on" he told her on a happier note, "yah we do" Katniss stayed up all night laughing at the silly capital made tv shows and movies, they talked and caught up, the both ended up falling asleep on the couch well into the night.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Katniss wakes up to see Finn asleep on the other side of the couch. She felt guilty she was going to hurt him when she dies, he was better off when he thought she was dead. She needs to distance her self before he gets too attached and hurts him all over again. She stands and runs to her room and locks the door. Katniss leans back on the door and slides down to sit at the base.

Pretty soon tears start streaming down her face, just two days ago it was easy to just go end her life. Now someone will be hurt if she dies. She wished she had gone with the knife to the throat, because that stupid idea is making her second guess wanting to die. Last night she felt something that she hadn't felt in a long time, joy. She smiled and laughed for the first time in years. It felt amazing.

She doesn't know how long she was sitting there crying, but when she hears a knock she jumps a little. "Kat are you in there?" The voice belongs to Finnick "go away" she cries. Wishing he will just listen and leave her alone. "Kat what's wrong, did I do something wrong. Katniss please tell me I don't want you hurting." He sounded so concerned it broke her heart. "I want to be left alone." She said sounding as pathetic as she feels.

She heard faint whispers "Katniss, you open the door and talk to me or I'm coming in." Commanded Finnick. Katniss stubbornly said nothing the door digging in her back when suddenly the door jerks back causing her to fall back and hit her head on the floor. She let out a groan of pain. Finnick rushed to help her up "Katniss I'm so sorry I didn't mean to hurt you." Finnick stutters as he cradles her head to his chest "are you okay," "I'm fine," she whispered "what did I do to upset you, you looked so happy last night and now your upset."

"I woke up this morning and realized that in less then a week you have to watch me get hunted in the arena, and I know how hurt you were when you had thought I died and now you have to watch me die and you have to get hurt by me again." She spoke with tears in her eyes " Kat I want you to look me in the eyes when I tell you this," Finn said and he lifted her head so she can meet his eyes

"when they took you from me I died on the inside I'd spend hours just wishing I had one more day with you, hell even a minute with you would have been fine. Even yesterday I spent hours on the bed staring at an old photo of us holding your old doll just wishing I could see what you would have grown up to be, and I am proud of the women you've become. I also want you to know that I will fight like hell so you can come out of there alive." He stressed to her willing her to understand. Finn frowned when he brought a hand to her bruised face.

"What happened to you?" He questioned as he traced her bruises with his thumb "um...people in twelve didn't really like me. I got beat up a lot from kids at school, Mrs. Everdeen, my mother if she could be called that, blamed Mr. Everdeen's death on me and took all her anger and frustration out on me." She told him softly "you didn't deserve that, you deserve to be happy and carefree." He told her sadly as he kissed her head "come on Kat it's time to eat." He told her as he helped her up and they walked out to eat

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The past couple days flew by, when they arrived at the capital, the people we shocked to see Finn with them, but he brushed them off only to tell them the truth at the end of the line. This made them go crazy. The opening chariot ride was terrifying Cinna, her stylist lit them on fire once again winning the people of the capitals' hearts. Even training flew by Katniss and Peeta spent most of their training time together, they became inseparable. Now Katniss was standing in her dress waiting to be called up for the interview. Cinna had her in a black dress with jewels on the bottom of the dress that made it look likes it was on fire every time she walked, her bronze hair was flipped over to her left all of the bruises that cover her were all covered in makeup. The guard ushered her to the side of the stage when the guy from eleven's interview just ended.

Her heart raced, she remembered what she Finn and Haymitch worked on. She heard Caesar a announce her. She put on a smile and walked out onto the stage, Caesar who has a new yearly hair color which this year it's blue. "Hi Caesar." She greeted him sweetly " hello Katniss, our hearts stopped when you came out at the parade." "Mine did to." She admitted sheepishly. This made them laugh.

Her interview continues on like this, he keeps asking mindless unimportant questions like her favorite thing she's had in the capital. Her interview passed by uneventful, boring even. She hears Peeta's name get announced, he is charming and makes a joke about the showers in the capital, the audience roars with laughter. When they quieted Caesar asks Peeta if he has anyone special back in Twelve. Her heart stops when he asks this, she doesn't know why she cares. Of course he has a girlfriend, he's only the nicest guy in Twelve. She sees Peeta brush the question off, but Caesar insists he answers. She mentally prepares herself for his answer.

"I don't think winning is gonna help much, because," he pauses "because...she came here with me." It takes me a minute to process what he had said, I feel light headed, then nothing.


End file.
